On May 14, 2014 Hon. Judge Paul Magnuson of the District Court for the District of Minnesota appointed Nichols Kaster Partner E. Michelle Drake to the position of liaison counsel on behalf of the consumers who have brought claims against Target related to the company's well-publicized data breach. After scores of lawyers appeared in Court and vied for leadership positions, the court made a variety of appointments to leadership positions in the MDL. The Court appointed Karl Cambronne of Chestnut Cambronne as overall lead counsel, Garrett Blanchfield of Reinhardt Wendorf & Blanchfield as overall liaison counsel, Vincent J. Esades of Heins Mills & Olson as lead counsel for claims made by consumers, E. Michelle Drake of Nichols Kaster as liaison counsel for consumer claims, Bucky Zimmerman of Zimmerman Reed as lead counsel for claims made by financial institutions, Karen Riebel of Lockridge Grindal Nauen as liaison counsel for financial institution claims, Felipe J. Arroyo of Robbins Arroyo as lead counsel for shareholder derivative claims, and Christopher R. Walsh of the Walsh Law Firm as liaison counsel for shareholder derivative claims.
"I am honored to have the opportunity to serve my clients, and the Court, in this position," said Drake. "I look forward to working with colleagues from the plaintiffs' bar across the country to provide relief to consumers whose privacy was breached."
The Court scheduled a status conference for June 25, 2014, and directed the lawyers who he appointed to leadership positions to make recommendations for executive committee positions. The Court also directed the lawyers to begin work on a protective order to provide for confidentiality in the proceedings.
Nichols Kaster focuses on representing employees and consumers whose rights have been violated. We are a firm of passionate, talented, and experienced attorneys and staff. Whether they are individuals or members of a class, our clients come first, always. We are the voice for employees and for consumers.